Not What She Expected, But What She Needed: Maijiddah Mohammad Aliyu on Mentorship That Listens First

Maijiddah Mohammad Aliyu is based in Maiduguri, Borno State, in northeast Nigeria. She works as an Emergency WATSAN Officer with Solidarités International and was recently promoted to WATSAN Team Leader. Her work spans water, sanitation, and hygiene programming in emergency and development contexts across North-East Nigeria, from borehole rehabilitation to hygiene promotion to groundwater monitoring. She is also completing a master’s in public health at Ahmadu Bello University.

Maijiddah joined the Women in WASH & RWSN mentorship programme as a mentee.

A Clear Goal, and a Gap She Couldn’t Close Alone

Maijiddah’s motivation for joining was specific. “I want to move into senior programme management within UN agencies or major international NGOs, and I knew I couldn’t close that gap alone. I needed someone with sector insider knowledge, who could make introductions, give me honest feedback on how I present myself professionally, and hold me accountable to my own goals.”

A Match That Didn’t Look Like What She Expected

Maijiddah’s mentor’s background wasn’t what she initially thought she needed, but that stopped mattering quickly. “He shared his own story and asked for mine, and he listens in a way that makes you want to keep talking. It felt less like a formal arrangement and more like an actual exchange between two people.”

A Promotion, and a Mentor Who Knew When to Wait

Early in the mentorship relationship, her mentor introduced her to an exercise for understanding herself and what she truly wants, something she had never tried before. “That alone made me more self aware.” Then, around the time she was promoted to Team Leader, she told him, and he answered her questions honestly, drawing on his own experience. What stood out most was what came next. “He told me to settle into the role first before we scheduled our next conversation, which said a lot about how he thinks. He wasn’t interested in checking a box, he wanted the guidance to actually fit where I was.”

What Stood Out About Her Mentor

Maijiddah points to her mentor’s follow-through as much as his advice. “When he suggested WASH networks, he went ahead and introduced me to some of them himself.” She also credits his honesty. “He’s honest, drawing on his own experience rather than giving generic answers, and he knows when to let someone settle into a new season before pushing further.”

Rethinking What a Good Match Looks Like

Maijiddah expected a mentor whose background aligned neatly with hers to simply hand her direction. Instead, she got something different. “I got someone who listens, shares honestly, and follows through, introducing me to networks rather than just naming them, checking on me at the right moments rather than on a fixed schedule. That’s changed how I see mentorship. It’s less about matching resumes and more about whether the person actually shows up for you.”

Her Message to Anyone Considering the Programme

Maijiddah encourages people not to go in with a fixed idea of what the relationship should look like. “Don’t go in looking for someone who matches your exact idea of what you need. Go in ready to talk honestly, and give the relationship room to become what it needs to be. Some of the most useful things I’ve gained so far weren’t things I asked for, they came from a mentor who was willing to listen first and guide second.”

What She Recommends

When asked for a book, tool or resource recommendation, Maijiddah points to something her own mentor suggested: joining WASH networks. “It’s something I’m working on now, and even before joining, just knowing these networks exist has shifted how I think about growth in this field. It’s not something you do alone.”